Is Mickey really that hard done to?

[Chopper Harris]

After reading numerous threads and posts over the past few weeks i have been asking myself is Mickey really that hard done by?

 

There is certainly a strong case to argue that last season was difficult. An EGM forced by supporter shareholders, disruptions in the board room, the possible Mo Chaudry takeover in the background, MOLD, the nil shares fiasco, having to put up with Perry Deakin as your boss :) , the team not performing, Gary Roberts pressing the self destruction button, the club going into administration and being deducted 10 points and not being paid a months wages on time is just a small selection of what went on. Add to this criticism from supporters in recent weeks then you could say that Mickey is extremely hard done by.

 

But do i really feel sorry for him? The answer for me is quite simply no i don't. Mickey is after all a football manager. Lets not forget what a privilege that is and how we have all dreamed to have a career in football instead of doing a normal job. He has played football as a career and has been lucky enough to extend that career by going into management. He does a job that we would all love to do. How many of you have played Championship manager or Football manager and managed the Vale or any club. Why? Because it is amazing. On top of this he gets an extraordinary large wage.

 

When Mickey came back to the club he must have realised that there were problems at the club. I mean if he didn't then where has he been? The moon? He knew the financial limitations of the club. He was given a sizeable competitive budget to spend. He knew that the supporters were at odds with the board. He must have known that things had gone so far down the line that at some point something was going to happen. He has then joined the board to facilitate signings and then there has been a press release that he was actually going to buy shares with his own money. Something Which never materialised much like Deakin and Miller.

 

You could argue that it wasn't his fault that the team wasn't good enough last year. But whose team as it? The answer is it is Mickey's team. He had either signed or retained the services of the team. Gary Roberts may have gone off the rails but who signed him? Mickey did. The waning signs were there for all to see. Roberts for me apart from the first 6 months was awful and mediocre at best. But surely the responsibility for having an average quality team is Mickeys and the boards. To be fair last season i can't knock the attitude of the players who played through some difficult times but some of the standard of play was dreadful.

 

Mickey has been criticised over the past few weeks in numerous threads and posts. But to be fair he has also been supported by a sizeable amount of posters. For me the abuse in some posts about him going to Gillingham is unfair. I don't want to see him abused but at the same time if i m honest i wouldn't have been too sad if he had left. I keep asking the question what has he achieved? I don't blame him either for the loss of Rico, Griff and Rigg. However some criticism labelled at him in my opinion has been fair. The retention of Pope, Taylor, Haldane, McDonald for me was a poor decision. It obviously affects the budget and will impact on who we now sign in the summer. I think posters who have been criticising the criticisers are being a little unfair. Surely it is reasonable to question the retention of these players who really haven't performed as well as expected. I just want us to sign better players after all. This strand of the criticism is fair in my opinion. I m not knocking the efforts of these players but surely there are better quality players out there. Why not be ambitious and take a risk?

 

Mickey has quite clearly not liked the criticism that he has received on OVF and i have a feeling that he does come on here and read what is posted even if he says he doesn't. However i think he is being a little defensive.I don't read many other club football forums but i would bet my last pound that what has been written on OVF is similar to what is written on all forums at times. You only have to look on the Oatcake to see that even Tony Pulis has been criticised at Stoke. I m afraid Mickey criticism is part and parcel of being a football manager and if you don't like it then you are in the wrong job. You have to have thick skin. I m not condoning some of the idiots who write abuse. Far from it. But i do think criticism and debate is fair on the Port Vale fans forum don't you think? I mean where else are supporters meant to raise their frustrations and concerns? i do have doubts that he can do the job but this has been based on who he has signed and retained in the past. Apart from Loft and Shuker it simply hasn't been good enough.

 

A lot of fans have posted that they thought after MOLD had gone the moaners would stop moaning. I personally don't think i am moaning. I m just levelling some criticism which i think is fair in MA's direction over the retention list. This is after all a forum? It amazes me as to how protective some posters are over Mickey saying that it is unfair. Where were you then when Jim Gannon wasn't given a fair opportunity when actually he brought up some very valid points about the current team and coaching staff not being good enough. Didnt you not think back then that some of the abuse he received back then was a little unfair and he should have been given an opportunity. Where were you then? You keep saying just give Mickey time. Why didn't you say last season just give Jim some more time instead of calling for his head after the first week. Surely that criticism was more unfair than my criticism of Mickeys retention list.

 

Some posters on here have been moaning about the moaners. But hold on here a second. For me one of the biggest moaners and whiners of the last months has actually been Mickey Adams. I have forgotten the last good bit of PR he did. Where was he last month when just needed a press release of ' i can't wait of the season to start' or 'i can't wait to bring in some quality players' to steady the ship and reassure supporters after the loss of RICO. It never came. Instead it was a PR disaster of him saying his hand are tied and then complaining about supporters moaning. Why didn't he laugh it off and come out fighting and say "i can't wait to prove my critics wrong". He has been a different person the last 6 months due to his negativity.Why aren't the people who hate moaners telling Mickey to wind his neck in? He has surely been the worst out of all of us hasn't he? If he is this negative with supporters what is he like with the players? Mickey has made his frustrations well known probably. He is probably asking for a bit of understanding from the supporters. But Mickey we are as frustrated as you. Why can't you understand that. After 10 years of Valiant 2001 and then MOLD, years of decline on the pitch we are fed up. This is why sometimes supporters do moan. We have hardly had anything to shout about for years.

 

This has been escalated when he refused to have his photo taken for OVF. This for me is another PR disaster. Yes he doesnt get paid for his photo to be taken but he is the manager of Port Vale and an ambassador for the club. Surely even if he is miffed with some posters he shouldn't take it out on the whole forum. I bet John Rudge would have never have done that.

 

i think some of the abuse that was put towards MA over the Gillingham saga was unfair but some criticism over some of the things that he has don in my book are fair. Surely i m allowed to voice that on the Port Vale fans forum. I have even read some poster saying why are there so many posts on the non football moaning threads and not on the football threads. It is because the news of Tom the goal scoring machine Pope signing is hardly exciting news.

[Disco]

Don't you mean hard done by?? Great post though.

[Taffvaliant]

Great post cant wait for Regal Beagles response

[Caz or caz123]

Smashing post and one in which you echo my thoughts.

[BRIT1974]

No he's not hard done by, not at all. Regardless of how hard last season may have been he is on enough money to just take the criticism and get on with it and not spend his time whingeing, he's a football manager and should know what to expect.

 

He doesn't really help himself with the things he says and saying that he won't have a pictuere taken to go on OVF albeit his right i suppose certainly doesn't do anything to endear himself to the fanbase.

 

Grow up abd grow a pair adams and stop moaning like a baby!!!

[Howjy04]

Micky is not a bad manager but it is nearly 10 years since a team of his did anything.He needs to brush up on his PR skills and stop berating fans who have seen nothing but garbage for that same period of time.This is Micky's chance to get back on track with his own career IMO .Blow it this time the only place he will be managing at is his boyhood school team.Vale have some of the most loyal fans going.Time for Micky to get behind them.Micky,no matter what some people say,is not irreplaceable.

[BRIT1974]

This whole post should be e-mailed to Adams.

[BRIT1974]

.Vale have some of the most loyal fans going.Time for Micky to get behind them.

 

I like this bit of this post, so many times the impetus for loyalty and support has been placed upon the fans shoulders and it really is time that the fans were given a little of that back, we deserve that at least.

[melv]

After reading numerous threads and posts over the past few weeks i have been asking myself is Mickey really that hard done by?

 

There is certainly a strong case to argue that last season was difficult. An EGM forced by supporter shareholders, disruptions in the board room, the possible Mo Chaudry takeover in the background, MOLD, the nil shares fiasco, having to put up with Perry Deakin as your boss :) , the team not performing, Gary Roberts pressing the self destruction button, the club going into administration and being deducted 10 points and not being paid a months wages on time is just a small selection of what went on. Add to this criticism from supporters in recent weeks then you could say that Mickey is extremely hard done by.

 

But do i really feel sorry for him? The answer for me is quite simply no i don't. Mickey is after all a football manager. Lets not forget what a privilege that is and how we have all dreamed to have a career in football instead of doing a normal job. He has played football as a career and has been lucky enough to extend that career by going into management. He does a job that we would all love to do. How many of you have played Championship manager or Football manager and managed the Vale or any club. Why? Because it is amazing. On top of this he gets an extraordinary large wage.

 

When Mickey came back to the club he must have realised that there were problems at the club. I mean if he didn't then where has he been? The moon? He knew the financial limitations of the club. He was given a sizeable competitive budget to spend. He knew that the supporters were at odds with the board. He must have known that things had gone so far down the line that at some point something was going to happen. He has then joined the board to facilitate signings and then there has been a press release that he was actually going to buy shares with his own money. Something Which never materialised much like Deakin and Miller.

 

You could argue that it wasn't his fault that the team wasn't good enough last year. But whose team as it? The answer is it is Mickey's team. He had either signed or retained the services of the team. Gary Roberts may have gone off the rails but who signed him? Mickey did. The waning signs were there for all to see. Roberts for me apart from the first 6 months was awful and mediocre at best. But surely the responsibility for having an average quality team is Mickeys and the boards. To be fair last season i can't knock the attitude of the players who played through some difficult times but some of the standard of play was dreadful.

 

Mickey has been criticised over the past few weeks in numerous threads and posts. But to be fair he has also been supported by a sizeable amount of posters. For me the abuse in some posts about him going to Gillingham is unfair. I don't want to see him abused but at the same time if i m honest i wouldn't have been too sad if he had left. I keep asking the question what has he achieved? I don't blame him either for the loss of Rico, Griff and Rigg. However some criticism labelled at him in my opinion has been fair. The retention of Pope, Taylor, Haldane, McDonald for me was a poor decision. It obviously affects the budget and will impact on who we now sign in the summer. I think posters who have been criticising the criticisers are being a little unfair. Surely it is reasonable to question the retention of these players who really haven't performed as well as expected. I just want us to sign better players after all. This strand of the criticism is fair in my opinion. I m not knocking the efforts of these players but surely there are better quality players out there. Why not be ambitious and take a risk?

 

Mickey has quite clearly not liked the criticism that he has received on OVF and i have a feeling that he does come on here and read what is posted even if he says he doesn't. However i think he is being a little defensive.I don't read many other club football forums but i would bet my last pound that what has been written on OVF is similar to what is written on all forums at times. You only have to look on the Oatcake to see that even Tony Pulis has been criticised at Stoke. I m afraid Mickey criticism is part and parcel of being a football manager and if you don't like it then you are in the wrong job. You have to have thick skin. I m not condoning some of the idiots who write abuse. Far from it. But i do think criticism and debate is fair on the Port Vale fans forum don't you think? I mean where else are supporters meant to raise their frustrations and concerns? i do have doubts that he can do the job but this has been based on who he has signed and retained in the past. Apart from Loft and Shuker it simply hasn't been good enough.

 

A lot of fans have posted that they thought after MOLD had gone the moaners would stop moaning. I personally don't think i am moaning. I m just levelling some criticism which i think is fair in MA's direction over the retention list. This is after all a forum? It amazes me as to how protective some posters are over Mickey saying that it is unfair. Where were you then when Jim Gannon wasn't given a fair opportunity when actually he brought up some very valid points about the current team and coaching staff not being good enough. Didnt you not think back then that some of the abuse he received back then was a little unfair and he should have been given an opportunity. Where were you then? You keep saying just give Mickey time. Why didn't you say last season just give Jim some more time instead of calling for his head after the first week. Surely that criticism was more unfair than my criticism of Mickeys retention list.

 

Some posters on here have been moaning about the moaners. But hold on here a second. For me one of the biggest moaners and whiners of the last months has actually been Mickey Adams. I have forgotten the last good bit of PR he did. Where was he last month when just needed a press release of ' i can't wait of the season to start' or 'i can't wait to bring in some quality players' to steady the ship and reassure supporters after the loss of RICO. It never came. Instead it was a PR disaster of him saying his hand are tied and then complaining about supporters moaning. Why didn't he laugh it off and come out fighting and say "i can't wait to prove my critics wrong". He has been a different person the last 6 months due to his negativity.Why aren't the people who hate moaners telling Mickey to wind his neck in? He has surely been the worst out of all of us hasn't he? If he is this negative with supporters what is he like with the players? Mickey has made his frustrations well known probably. He is probably asking for a bit of understanding from the supporters. But Mickey we are as frustrated as you. Why can't you understand that. After 10 years of Valiant 2001 and then MOLD, years of decline on the pitch we are fed up. This is why sometimes supporters do moan. We have hardly had anything to shout about for years.

 

This has been escalated when he refused to have his photo taken for OVF. This for me is another PR disaster. Yes he doesnt get paid for his photo to be taken but he is the manager of Port Vale and an ambassador for the club. Surely even if he is miffed with some posters he shouldn't take it out on the whole forum. I bet John Rudge would have never have done that.

 

i think some of the abuse that was put towards MA over the Gillingham saga was unfair but some criticism over some of the things that he has don in my book are fair. Surely i m allowed to voice that on the Port Vale fans forum. I have even read some poster saying why are there so many posts on the non football moaning threads and not on the football threads. It is because the news of Tom the goal scoring machine Pope signing is hardly exciting news.

 

10/10 very good,well done.

[Chopper Harris]

Micky is not a bad manager but it is nearly 10 years since a team of his did anything.He needs to brush up on his PR skills and stop berating fans who have seen nothing but garbage for that same period of time.This is Micky's chance to get back on track with his own career IMO .Blow it this time the only place he will be managing at is his boyhood school team.Vale have some of the most loyal fans going.Time for Micky to get behind them.Micky,no matter what some people say,is not irreplaceable.

 

Completely agree.

[edd]

I dont recall MA asking for anyone to feel sorry for him! What he probably is asking for is to be judged without all the noise of political fallout, admin etc.

Lets face reality, in the time he was managing the club with a modicum of stability behind him, he turned a poor 18th placed team into a side that challenged for a play off place in his first season. We were second in the league looking certainties for automatic promotion in his second season,

[the old bycars tea bar]

Excellent post mate

[cheeky]

Cracking post Chopps.

[Regal Beagle]

Strange post.

 

I hate the "Oh he's employed in football so hasn't got a right to say anything negative" line. It's boring and wrong.

 

Many of the criticisms are unfair. The Gillingham thread was so pathetic that it's untrue. As were the threads at the time that basically said he was as bad as MOLD.

 

Fact is, he has a team of players that for the past few seasons haven't quite been playoff standard (not by much though) so does that mean he should release any player he can and sign 20 new ones every time we don't meet expectations? No. The retained list could have been more cut throat, but for me we have a squad at the moment, before we actually have the team that is good enough to get promotion. Judge him when the transfer window closes. If we get the 5-6 players he is after then I honestly don't see why we can't build up momentum and get out of this league. With backing from upstairs, and for once in years he's actually got the backing of 100% of the fans who are just excited to finally be able to get a season where football is the priority.

 

I love Rico but the positive side side to his depature is now we can try something different, Pope can step up and knows that he can be the main man if he starts well. Williamson will also have that mentality as Rigg has gone also. We're not going to be limited to having richards up front, which I know sounds ridiculous but it did mean that he had to adapt and play differently than we could have done, he was a bit of everything, he wasn't the target man, wasn't the poacher, wasn't the speedster, but scored goals so had to play. Didn't really have that killer partnership with anyone that would have certainly seen us in the playoffs.

 

I can't really see how Micky has failed at all so far in the circumstances.

 

And I think he is well within his right to not go out of his way for a website where a big minority of people can't wait to see him fail, so they can say I told you so.

 

How's about letting him do his job?

[JOHNNYAITCH]

To be honest I wass taking the post at the start very serioussy and saw it as inciteful until i read the following

 

"Mickey has quite clearly not liked the criticism that he has received on OVF and i have a feeling that he does come on here and read what is posted even if he says he doesn't."

 

After that it lost me as it's accusing the man of being a liar based on a 'feeling' and so the whole basis of the criticism is undermined which is a pity.